A method for launching a round from an airborne platform, receiving a plurality of RF signals at the round, determining an amount of time between a first and second received RF signal, where the second signal is a multi-path signal and the first signal is a direct path signal. An altitude of the round is determined based on the delay between the first and second received signal and aligning the round's flight path with an initial velocity vector of the aircraft platform to reduce dispersion. The round can include a plurality of sensors for detecting the RF signals. The second received RF signal may be a multi-path signal having been reflected off of the earth's surface or another object on the earth's surface. The altitude of the round can be determined using the known altitude of the airborne platform, the delay of time between the first and second received signals, and the speed of light.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the round uses Doppler to determine the initial velocity vector.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the inherent RF signals comprises identification friend or foe (IFF) electronic warfare radar, radar warning receiver or other radar-based system emanating from the airborne platform.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-path signal is reflected off of a surface of earth.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the altitude of the round is determined based on the time delay, and determined by multiplying the time delay by the speed of light, and then subtracting an altitude of the airborne platform.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial velocity vector is determined by Doppler, multipath timing, or Time Difference of Arrival.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the inherent RF signals are transmitted in an L-band frequency range of 0.5-1.5 Gigahertz (GHz) or a C-band frequency range of 4-8 GHz.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of inherent RF signals are received by multiple sensors on the round.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the altitude of the round is determined based on the time delay, and determined by multiplying the time delay by speed of light, and then subtracting a known altitude of the airborne platform.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one second received signal comprises at least one multi-path signal reflected from the ground surface.
14. The round of claim 13, wherein the round uses Doppler to determine the initial velocity vector of the airborne platform.
15. The round of claim 13, wherein the second signal is a multi-path signal having signals are reflected off of the ground surface.
16. The round of claim 13, wherein the inherent RF signals are transmitted in an L-band frequency range of 0.5-1.5 Gigahertz (GHz) or a C-band frequency range of 4-8 GHz.
17. The round of claim 13, wherein the plurality of inherent RF signals are received by multiple sensors on the round.
18. The round of claim 13, wherein the round comprises a weapon, a projectile, a ballistic, a bullet, a munition, a guided weapon, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or an unmanned aerial system (UAS).
19. The round of claim 13, wherein the round uses other guidance information to direct the round to a target once the initial dispersion has been reduced.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
December 4, 2020
September 6, 2022
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.